August: Tim Balz

A native of Mooresville, Indiana, Tim Balz was a sophomore and a member of his high school's robotics team when he noticed a schoolmate struggling with his manual wheelchair. Moved to help, Balz used his knowledge of robotics to assist the student. Balz traded his own moped scooter for a used electric wheelchair and proceeded to fix it up. Just before the student graduated, Balz presented him with a like-new electric wheelchair and soon after founded Freedom Chairs of Indiana.

Freedom Chairs of Indiana is a charity that repairs and rebuilds wheelchairs for people in need, free of charge. Since 2011, Balz and his dedicated team of volunteers have worked almost every weekend to fix donated wheelchairs that come into their workshop. To date, Balz has repaired and given away more than 85 electric wheelchairs and medical equipment to people in need.

Balz currently attends Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology where he is studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Robotics.